


Risen from the ashes

by DewingedAngel



Category: VIXX
Genre: Aurors and Potion Masters, M/M, Not a Crossover, Set in wizarding London, hpverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DewingedAngel/pseuds/DewingedAngel
Summary: Where Kim Wonshik is nothing but a missing case in the beginning, but somewhere in between a strange diary and an apothecary, Hongbin finds himself caring more than he probably should.
Relationships: Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Lee Hongbin
Comments: 17
Kudos: 40
Collections: RAVI El Dorado Collab





	Risen from the ashes

**Author's Note:**

> A part of the El Dorado fic fest ish thing.  
> I would really like it if you guys guessed which song from the album I've based this fic on! 
> 
> I hope it being set in HPverse doesn't deter you from reading. I promise, it has only very few spells in it and I'll provide a glossary just in case. 
> 
> In the order of appearance :  
> • incendio - when you want to set fire to something  
> • accio - to summon something  
> • aguamenti - it shoots water from the tip of the wand 
> 
> (I'm pretty sure I haven't used any more spells, but please do point out if I've missed something)
> 
> As always, do leave me comments and kudos if you liked it!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Hongbin winces when he enters his small private office in the Ministry and finds a large yellow file with the word  _ 'Urgent' _ scrawled across the top in bold red letters floating a few inches above his neatly organised desk and swaying back and forth, but somehow managing to miss the inkpot and quill stand placed dangerously close to where the file is hovering. 

He deftly unclasps the high necked robe and swishes his wand to send it to the coat rack he keeps in one corner of the room. He strides to pick up the file before it begins to vibrate with even more vigour and sends the contents of his table toppling to the floor.

He undoes the neat little string that's keeping the file together and leafs through the contents, a frown on his face that only morphs into a full blown scowl by the time he's gone through it all.

_ Case M0274692 _

_ MISSING  _

_ Kim Wonshik, 27  _

_ Last seen : Chapothecary, Knocturn Alley, at 17:42 on 20200216 _

_ Complaint lodged by : Kim Jiwon, sister _

There's a few more details about what he was last seen wearing, and a list of friends and enemies and their contact information. Not too many, considering Kim Wonshik is a celebrity, which is strange and he makes a note of it in his mind, promising the silent room that he will get back on that.

Hongbin makes a noise at the back of his throat when his fingers brush across the single photograph that had been placed in the file, of Kim Wonshik smiling at the camera for a few seconds until his smile drops and the entire feel of the image changes from warm and friendly to cold, worlds apart from how he remembers Wonshik.

He sighs as he leans back in his chair and watches Wonshik smile and then look away until a knock on his door nearly startles him enough for the photograph to fall to the floor. He curses as he picks it up and calls the person in, before stacking the parchments neatly and sliding them back into the yellow file. 

"Head Auror Jung would like to see you, Auror Lee," the Patrolman nods at him politely.

Hongbin sighs and thanks him, before reaching for his stupid red Auror robes and making his way to the elevators, the yellow file compressed and floating along with him. He hates the elevators at the Ministry and just how rickety they always make him feel, and carrying files only makes it worse. 

He knocks on the large oak door once and steps back as the door swings forward and lets himself in, immediately casting a silencing charm towards the closing door. 

"Auror Lee," Taekwoon gestures for him to take a seat and interlocks his fingers to regard him. "I trust you have received the file for the missing case?"

Hongbin sighs. "I'm not sure I understand why you want me to work on this case, Head Auror. Especially considering our history," 

Taekwoon peers at him and then nods to himself. "Precisely why, of course. Nobody knows Kim Wonshik like you do," he doesn't shrug, but it's a near thing.

"That's not true," Hongbin starts with a frown. "His fans know him much better, I assure you," 

Taekwoon holds up a hand. "No argument can get you out of this, Auror. You better get to it immediately. All of your other ongoing investigations will be sent over to MLEP. We need to bring Wonshik back before his fans start to suspect he's missing," 

Hongbin scowls. "So it has to be done discreetly, as well? How can I investigate like that?" 

"You're one of our brightest Aurors, Hongbin. I'm sure you'll figure it out," Taekwoon replies serenely and returns to reviewing one of the many files that appear by the minute, some glowing white for closed and some glowing green for ongoing and waiting for the Head Auror's orders. 

Hongbin takes that as his signal to leave and undoes the silencing charm before walinconspicuous

He decides to start with the last place Wonshik was seen in. He doesn't especially like venturing into Knocturn, the entire alley being far too crowded for his liking, and the aura of thick dark magic colouring everything a gloomy dark grey. He shrugs his robs tighter along his shoulders and tries to move as inconspicuously as possible. 

He finds Chapothecary nestled in between a battered old building that boasts to be The Best Owl Emporium and another smaller building that claims to sell Original Dark Artefacts. He almost walks past Chapothecary, and needs to have a double take because of how odd the building is. 

It's painted a soft yellow, a complete contrast to all the other buildings on Knocturn, with tiny little windows holding pots of herbs and small plants, some with flowers, some with vines, and he almost thinks the shop looks cheery and absolutely out of place, until he steps closer and the flowers bare sharp little teeth at him as the vines creep towards his ankles. 

"Daisy, bad Daisy," a voice admonishes the plant, and it visibly shrivels up and bows it's leaves and flowers. The vines creep back into the plant. 

Hongbin looks at the man with his jaw hanging open, until the man comments about how his Daisy especially prefers to terrify customers by shooting leaves into their mouths and he promptly closes it. "Do you own this place?" he gestures to the shop, suddenly embarrassed. 

The man half turns to look at the apothecary before turning to him with a proud smile. "Yes. Pretty, isn't it?" 

Hongbin decides not to comment on that, and tries just as hard to ignore the strange floppy feeling that's settling into his stomach. "I'm here to talk about a case. Can I come in?" 

The man peers at him curiously before nodding and stepping in through the door, but only after petting his strange plant. "Cha Hakyeon," he says and holds out a hand to take Hongbin's robes, but he decides to keep them on.

The shop is just as cheery on the inside as it is on the outside, with its sky blue walls and crystals chandeliers. Shelves have been arranged along the walls and in between, glass phials of varied shapes and sizes arranged carefully with neatly pleated velvet pieces of navy blue and golden trimmings housing the phials. Labels have been stuck to each phial. A small cabinet with glass doors holds candles of different colours as well. 

Hongbin shrugs to himself as he turns to face Hakyeon who has taken to arranging his hair into an artful mess, having charmed the surface of the front desk into a mirror and realises belatedly why he seems to feel so trippy suddenly. "You're part Veela," he comments with his lip curled down.

Hakyeon stops midway and claps with a smile that seems to brighten the room up. "Oh, no wonder you're an Auror," 

Hongbin scowls. He mutters a finite on the small compressed file of parchments and places them on the desk that has turned back into wood. "Do you know of Kim Wonshik, Mister Cha?" 

Hakyeon smiles at him, "Of course. Who doesn't know of Kim Wonshik? I would have to be living under a rock to not know of him. He's famous, you know?" he tells him as if it's a secret they're sharing. 

Hongbin nods as he makes a note on one of the parchments. "We have information that he tends to frequent your apothecary. When was the last time you saw him here, and what did he buy?" 

Hakyeon closes his eyes, as if to remember and makes a small 'aha' noise before replying. "It was on the sixteenth of February. He came in for a few phials of Dreamless Sleep, as usual," 

Hongbin frowns. "How do you remember the exact date?" 

"Because it was a day after his birthday, of course. And he brought me a box of my favourite muggle chocolates," Hakyeon shrugs. 

"Did he say anything to you that might have indicated where he was going after leaving your shop?" 

"No," 

"How long has he been frequenting your shop for?" 

"A few years. And he mostly comes in for Dreamless Sleep, although at times, he also gets some of my candles with similar effects and Polyjuice, too," 

"I would need you to give me your memory of your last encounter with him, Mister Cha," Hongbin packs up his parchments and ties a string across the middle, compressing them once again, and slipping them into his pocket. 

"You must forgive me if the memory is a bit hazy," Hakyeon answers serenely as he procures a small phial, uncorks it, places the tip of his wand to his temple, and a string of wispy silver fills up the phial. "He isn't my only customer, after all," 

"Understandable," Hongbin nods as he pockets the phial. "Thank you, Mister Cha," 

"You're most welcome, Hongbin," 

It doesn't occur to him until much later that he had never supplied his name. 

  
  
  
  
  


Hongbin pours over the hundreds of copies of Daily Prophet, all with clippings of Kim Wonshik, from the very first article to the latest one. 

_ 'Ravi to win the Magically Musical Award, beating the Weird Sisters for the third time' _ reads the article published a few days before his birthday. There's a photograph attached. Wonshik is waving carelessly into the camera, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He sets it aside. 

He doesn't like the photographs. There is always something fabricated about them, plastic. He knows Wonshik's smiles the best, the way his nose scrunches up cutely when he laughs, the way his eyes light up when he finds something endearing, and none of the photographs capture the beauty perfectly. No matter how advanced their magical technology is, some things can only be experienced in person. 

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, messing it up. There isn't anything of value in the gossip articles — really, he doesn't understand why one would want to know what Ravi has eaten for lunch on a particularly rainy afternoon, or something equally stupidly mundane — and he barely suppresses the urge to  _ Incendio _ the lot. 

His eyes catch the slight glint of the glass phial he'd gotten from Mister Cha and he lunges for the perfect distraction. He swishes his wand over a hidden cabinet and a marble Pensieve emerges from the depths of it. 

Hongbin uncorks the phial, and pours the contents into the Pensieve, watching the silvery wisps of the memory swirl along in varied patterns. He braces himself and plunges his head in. 

He shivers slightly as the blobs of swirling masses begin to take shape. He recognises the image of Hakyeon who is at the front desk, his head bent over a few pieces of parchment he's going over when another figure emerges from a door in a hidden corner he had failed to notice on his visit, and sidles up to Hakyeon and snakes a hand around his waist. 

Hakyeon smiles and half turns to press a chaste kiss to the man's cheek, giggling when he blushes and mutters "Warn me first," 

Hakyeon laughs. "You smell like you've burnt something again, Sanghyuk," 

Sanghyuk looks at him sheepishly. "I might have added the strips of batwings a little too early," 

Hakyeon crinkles his nose as he leans forward to press another kiss when a sharp jingle reverberates around the shop and the two jump away. Hakyeon flicks away the pieces of parchment with a wave of his hand and turns to face the entrance. 

Hongbin watches as Wonshik walks in, wearing exactly the same deep blue robes with the tiny silver buttons along the collar as described in the yellow file and glares at Hakyeon. "Your plant hates me," 

Hakyeon laughs as Sanghyuk comments, "Only because you hate it as well," 

Wonshik glares at Sanghyuk, then. "I hate you, too. Why aren't you shooting dangerous pointy leaves at me, then?" 

"Because he's a sweetheart, of course," Hakyeon preens. "But so is Daisy. You're just a bad child, Wonshikkie," he rounds the corner of the desk and moves towards the shelves. "Here for more Dreamless Sleep?" 

Wonshik scowls but nods slowly. "Two phials, please. My stock is running out," 

Hakyeon plants a hand on his hip and frowns. "You bought half a dozen phials only last week, Wonshik. I shouldn't be selling you any more," 

Wonshik looks at him desperately and Hongbin walks over to take a closer look at the labels on the phials. The one Hakyeon is holding does read Dreamless Sleep. "I've just been preoccupied. I swear I won't come back for a while," 

Hakyeon considers him but gives in with a sigh. "I forget which one of us is part Veela with the way you tend to make me yield. Only two, Wonshik. And none for the next month," 

Wonshik smiles. 

Hongbin watches as Wonshik digs in his pocket for some money and produces a galleon and hands it over to Sanghyuk who is manning the till. He finds that the corners of the memory are beginning to fade, the images beginning to wisp and frantically tries to watch as Wonshik steps out of the store, and vanishes from the spot. 

The dark of his office reels him in and he slumps into his chair and holds his head in between his hands. Something about the memory procured from Mister Cha nags at him, but he cannot pinpoint what exactly. 

He waves over a parchment and  _ accios _ his self-inking quill and scribbles two words,  _ Taken _ or  _ Gone _ and circles them both. If the last place Wonshik was seen at is the apothecary, and the memory is all he has to base his investigation on, this is going to be difficult. 

  
  
  
  
  


He owls Jiwon, but can barely manage to wait for a reply and walks to the Main Apparition Point at the Ministry anyway and apparates to her home. 

The small white cottage with it's neatly maintained front yard is exactly as he remembers it, albeit with the vines of ivy growing a little taller. There's a small row of pretty purple and white flowers lining the compound walls, and he barely has to knock before the door swings open and Jiwon steps out.

"Hongbin oppa," she greets with a smile and steps back to let him in. "It's been so long. It's good to see you," 

"Jiwon," he nods politely and walks into the extremely familiar home with it's cozy wooden furniture and seats himself at the kitchen table, finding it the least awkward spot. To be back at an ex's childhood home after a long while, and to be investigating said ex's missing case is more awkward than he made himself believe. 

She steps into the kitchen and moves towards the stove. "Tea?" 

"Yeah, thanks," Hongbin nods and watches as Jiwon hovers over a pot and heats some  _ aguamenti _ water. 

"Thank you for taking over his case," she comments as she soaks a tablespoon of tea leaves in the boiling water and squeezes them out. "Two teaspoons of sugar, as always, I presume," 

"Yes," Hongbin replies, pleasantly surprised that she has remembered.

She slides over his cup of tea across the table surface and seats herself into a chair across from him, one leg tucked under her bottom. "You have questions," 

Hongbin nods as he takes a sip of the tea. Perfect temperature, just as he takes it. "He hasn't been seen since last month after his birthday. Why did you wait a whole month to lodge a complaint, Jiwon?" 

Jiwon taps her wand absently along the rim of her cup. "Because he likes going away sometimes," she answers quietly. 

Hongbin frowns. "He never did that with uh, back then," 

"Because he had someone to keep him from going mad, back then," she says lightly. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, oppa. But it is what it is. The fame gets to him really badly sometimes, and he just feels like getting away," she shrugs. 

"Does it happen frequently?" 

"Frequently enough that I'm sort of used to it now," 

"What changed this time?" 

"He didn't come back for my birthday," Jiwon replies. 

"He wouldn't ever miss your birthday," Hongbin nods. He knows just how much Wonshik loves his sister, and he would never miss any occasion that's important to her. 

"Yes," she smiles sadly. "I was waiting. He never showed up. And I knew it was different. He, wait," she disappears up the stairs abruptly.

Hongbin leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. He doesn't know what to think. Wonshik has been going off on his own for indefinite periods of time because it got too much for him to handle, and it started sometime after they broke up. He shouldn't feel so, he knows, but he cannot help but feel guilty that maybe, he's responsible for it somehow. 

Before he can berate himself more, Jiwon comes back into view and holds out a closed fist. She uncurls her fingers and there in the middle of her palm is sat a tiny ruby studded golden phoenix locket strung into a thin gold chain. "He asked me to keep this safe for him before he left for the apothecary that day," 

Hongbin picks up the chain gingerly and examines it. It doesn't seem like anything extraordinary. It is expensive, no doubt, but it only seems like a simple locket, and nothing more. "Can I keep it?" 

Jiwon hesitates before nodding. "Yeah, it might be some sort of a clue," 

"I'll make sure to keep it safe and return it to you along with Wonshik," he stands. 

"I know you will," Jiwon ducks her head. "Thank you, once again. I understand this might not be something you'd willingly want to do, finding my brother. I hope you don't mind that I requested for you," 

"Well, he's always managed to make me worry for him. I'll find him, you know?" But it's news to him, of course, that he was asked for.

"Yeah," 

It isn't until after he's back at his office that he remembers he hasn't asked Jiwon some important questions, and decides to send her an owl instead.

  
  
  
  
  


Friday afternoon lunch is always with Jaehwan, at the same little bistro they found many years ago. 

Hongbin skims over the menu before rattling off his regular order, a veggie burger with a chocolate milkshake and settles into the cozy cushioned chair as Jaehwan gives his order to the waitress. 

"I heard you've got a new case," Jaehwan regards him carefully. "A missing case," 

"It's not fair Taekwoon hyung is your boyfriend and tells you everything," Hongbin mumbles. 

Jaehwan grins. "Now that that's out the way, tell me Binnie, how is the search for your ex going?" 

"Pretty badly, actually," Hongbin gives in. "I can't tell if he went away by himself or if he was taken. There hasn't been a ransom note or anything that I know of, but a person cannot simply vanish off into thin air," 

"That, my dear Hongbin," Jaehwan tells him seriously, having leaned in towards him, "is how apparation works," 

Hongbin chucks a balled up piece of the tissue paper at him and scowls when Jaehwan laughs. 

The waitress delivers their food and they quietly tuck in, hungry after a morning busy with work. 

Jaehwan slides his hands into the pockets of his nearly pressed trousers as they walk back to the Ministry. The weather is nice enough that they don't feel the need to apparate. "If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me. I know you don't have a partner," 

"Thank you," 

When Hongbin reaches his office, there's a large grey Owl perched on his desk. He recognises Eltany and immediately rushes to rub his beak and offer him a bowl of treats to coax him to stick his leg out. Eltany pecks his hand as Hongbin retrieves the letter. 

He unstrings the parchment and lets it unfurl. 

_ Dear Hongbin Oppa, _

_ You're right about it. There has been no ransom note. It does seem unlikely that he was taken, because it isn't easy to hide a six foot man, especially when one is a celebrity. I do agree with you. _

_ About his room, come by anytime. There aren't too many personal items he keeps, as you know, but of course, it wouldn't hurt to be too careful.  _

_ I have thought about it, and yet have been unable to come across any conversation where he mentions where he disappears to. I'm sorry I'm not of much help. It's distressing, but I really don't know too much.  _

_ Jiwon  _

Hongbin sighs. He expected as much.

  
  
  
  
  


Hongbin surveys the items he's managed to collect from Wonshik's room. Most items are muggle items. Hongbin has never understood Wonshik's pull towards them, but he had also long since given up trying to. There is a tiny metal box with a blank glass top that seems to light up at his touch and displays the time. He suppresses a small gasp of surprise as an image of his blooms on it along with the time, and decides he will have to ask Wonshik about it when he finds him. 

The only item of interest seems to be the thin leather bound diary of sorts he's found, consisting of not more than four parchments, bent in the middle and stitched to make eight little pages. The diary is otherwise nondescript. He flips though the pages and frowns when he finds them blank. Strange, he distinctly remembers seeing Wonshik's handwriting on the pages and had only picked the diary up for that very reason. 

He flips through the pages once again, but nothing seems to appear. He's about to place it away when ink starts to blot of the first page and he almost drops the diary in shock. He scrambles to open it properly and watches with mild trepidation as words bloom into full sentences. 

_ Human life is utter bollocks. It seems so predictable at times, and yet so, so unpredictable when necessary. Why is satisfaction something humans can never achieve? _

Hongbin inhales sharply. He knows that handwriting. He knows it better than his own, but he cannot believe it. He closes his eyes and opens them again, but the words are still on the page, written in the same shade of royal blue Wonshik prefers using. And he watches the words start to fade away just as suddenly as they appeared.

He accios his self-inking quill and dips the tip into the inkpot. He holds the quill over the parchment. He doesn't know what to write. Frankly, he thinks he's lost his mind, because really, words do not disappear in such fashion. But he braces himself anyway and touches the tip of his quill to the parchment, and writes. 

_ Wonshik?  _

And then he waits. He doesn't know what he's waiting for. Confirmation, maybe, that he's not losing his mind, that it really is Wonshik writing on those sheets, something. Nothing happens, expect for the fading away of his single word. He panics and wracks his mind for something, anything. 

_ Jiwon is waiting. _

And just as he expects, royal blue ink starts to swirl along the parchment once again and he holds his breath. 

_ Hongbin?  _

The script is hesitant, but it's there, and it's his name and that's all he needs. 

_ Wonshik! Jiwon is worried. I'm worried. What is this? Where are you? How can I find you?  _

_ How did you find my diary?  _

_ I've been looking for you. I found it in your room.  _

_ Why?  _

_ What do you mean why?  _

_ Why are you looking for me?  _

_ Because... because Jiwon lodged a missing complaint with the Auror Department  _

_ Is that all?  _

_ Well, yeah. Are you alone? Has someone taken you? Where are you?  _

_ I'm alone. Nobody has taken me. I wanted to go away. And now I want you to stop writing in my diary.  _

_ Wonshik, you need to tell me where you are  _

_ You don't care so I'm not going to. Tell Jiwon I'm fine.  _

_ Wonshik —  _

_ Goodbye, Hongbin.  _

Hongbin stares as the last of the letters fade from the parchment, his quill lays abandoned on the table. He only seems to have more questions than answers, now. 

  
  
  
  
  


Over the next couple of days, Wonshik doesn't seem to write. The blank white of the parchment stares back at him whenever he opens the diary, but he cannot stop from quickly becoming almost obsessed with it. He picks up his quill a few times, almost calling out to Wonshik, but stops himself. Wonshik seemed adamant when he asked for Hongbin to not write in his diary. 

He curses under his breath and throws the small diary across the room to the opposite wall and watches as it hits the small framed photograph of Wonshik and him peering at each other and then turning away blushing that he's frankly forgotten about, and slides down to lay upturned on the carpeted floor. 

He grabs his Auror robes and decides to go back to Knocturn. He knows he's missing something. What exactly, he doesn't know. 

He stares hesitantly at the seemingly harmless flower pot right outside Chapothecary, slipping his wand out of his sleeve and tapping the rim of the pot with it, and watches as the petals of the flower come together and form a bulb of sorts. He feels silly, but he cannot help asking, "Can I please enter, Daisy?" 

The flower unfurls it's petals once and remains still. Hongbin takes it as permission and enters the store. It doesn't shoot leaves at him this time. 

"Welcome," the man he remembers as Sanghyuk speaks up from behind the till. "You have more questions for us. I'm afraid Hakyeon isn't here," 

Hongbin frowns. "How do you know what I'm here for?" 

Sanghyuk gestures to his robes and Hongbin swallows the embarrassment. "Hakyeon had mentioned you might be coming back. You're looking for Wonshik," 

He nods. "When I was here last time, Mister Cha had mentioned that he remembered the date of Wonshik's last visit correctly because it was a day after his birthday and that he'd gotten him chocolates," 

"Yes, I was there, as well," 

"In the memory he'd given me, Wonshik didn't give him any box of chocolates. I find that strange," Hongbin points out. 

"I can give you my memory, if you'd prefer," 

Hongbin hides his surprise. Memories are private, most witches and wizards prefer to not go through the ordeal if at all. To have Sanghyuk offer it to him without much thought has Hongbin on an edge. "That would be helpful, thank you," 

"Anything to help you, Auror Lee," Sanghyuk smiles. 

Hongbin doesn't think the smile is at all genuine. His gut tells him he'll find an answer for Wonshik's disappearance right here in this quaint shop, but he has no more clues. He pockets the phial of memory and retreats back to his office. 

He makes quick work of his Pensieve and plunges himself into the memory. 

He's in a different room, this time. The walls are grooved, each little nook carries bottles and jars of varied ingredients. He slinks away from a shelf holding dozens of jars of green slime and turns to find Sanghyuk bent over a cauldron, lazily swirling the ladle clockwise, thrice, and the liquid turns a pale green before bubbling into an angry reddish brown and sending out a puff of black smoke, singeing a bit of Sanghyuk's hair. 

Sanghyuk curses and douses the fire immediately and casts a quick cleaning charm to himself and sighs. He then walks to the door and pulls it open, stepping into the main store area.

Hongbin hurries after him and finds Sanghyuk sliding a hand around Hakyeon's waist and leaning in close. He remembers from Hakyeon's memory just how intimate they seem and decides to take a look at the phials on display instead. 

The shelves are much the same as with Hakyeon's memory. But the labels on the phials are hazy and he cannot make out too much. He tries to pick up one of the phials, but his hand slips through and a cold shiver runs up his spine. He snatches his hand back promptly but something stops him. The label on the Dreamless Sleep flickers and all he can make out is a 'T' before it settles back into the same. He only has time to file it in a compartment in his mind when Wonshik steps in and Hakyeon and Sanghyuk pull away.

"Your plant hates me," Wonshik scowls, shrugging his shoulders slightly, as if shedding something icky. 

"Only because you hate it as well," Sanghyuk nods sagely as Hakyeon laughs at the glare Wonshik sends him. 

"I hate you, too. Why aren't you shooting dangerous pointy leaves at me, then?" 

Sanghyuk shrugs innocently as Hakyeon rounds the front desk and moves towards the shelves of potions. 

Hongbin tunes out halfway through their conversation and watches sharply when Hakyeon picks up two phials of what he claims to be Dreamless Sleep, but Hongbin can make out the clear markings of magical signature on the phials even through the hazy memory and he knows it isn't Dreamless Sleep that Wonshik bought. 

He pulls his head out of the memory, his mind reeling with the new memory, but the longer he stands and stares at the swirling pearly white in the Pensieve, the more confused he gets. He isn't sure whose memory to trust. What if both have been tampered with? 

  
  
  
  
  


A week into his investigation, Hongbin is ready to accept defeat when his eye catches the beginnings of royal blue on the parchment of Wonshik's diary and he scrambles to pick it up. He's gotten into a strange habit of leaving the diary open to the first page just in case. 

_ What right do I have to exist? What right do I have to gain the love of some many, most of whom I know not. Not all, of course. I know of those who despise me for the very reasons others like me. It is baffling. _

Hongbin reads through the words once, twice and barely has the presence of mind to start copying the words before they start fading. He doesn't know of the significance yet, but he feels he should note them down anyway. 

_ It's laughable, really, to think I can afford the affections of those I've never met but the affections of those I do seek. Maybe I'm only nice from afar.  _

Hongbin itches to thwart that thought process but he knows if he starts to write, Wonshik will stop. And he can do nothing but watch helplessly as Wonshik pours his heart out. 

_ I thought this would give me reprieve, that I would finally feel useful when I'm away from the public eye, but this timeless loop only serves to intensify the feeling of loneliness I seem to possess. Maybe that's all I am. A black hole, as the muggles put it.  _

Hongbin doesn't know what a black hole is, of course, but the context makes it sort of easy to decipher. He doesn't know what muggles use the term for, but he doesn't like what it seems to denote with Wonshik's words. 

_ Maybe I'm the one at fault. I know, I should start to understand that I can never satisfy somebody else when I cannot even satisfy myself. I should stop. Stop. Stop.  _

And as the last of the words disintegrate, Hongbin feels hollow, somehow. 

  
  
  
  
  


Hongbin gives in one night, a few days after watching and committing to memory every word Wonshik etches into his diary. He feels helpless every time royal blue starts to seep into the parchment and the words tug at his heart. 

He lays on his stomach, his legs stretched out behind him on the bed and accios his self-inking quill. He pauses as he tries to straighten his thoughts, but gives up halfway and just writes. 

_ Wonshik, I know you don't want me writing in this, but you leave me no choice. I understand what you're going through, but running away isn't the right thing to do. _

And then he waits. He washes himself, brushes his teeth and empties his bladder, and is on the verge of turning in for the night when his words disappear. 

_ I should've known you wouldn't put it back at home.  _

It sounds like bitter resignation, but Hongbin cannot bring himself to care. Wonshik is writing back. 

_ What are you running from?  _

_ I'm not running.  _

Hongbin makes a noise of pure frustration at the back of his throat before writing once again. 

_ Alright. What is it that is making you feel like you need time away?  _

_ You wouldn't understand  _

_ Do you have anybody else to speak to where you are?  _

_ No. I can't.  _

_ Then why don't you talk to me. Maybe I can help.  _

_ You will talk to me?  _

_ Yeah, why not  _

_ Don't joke, Hongbin. You haven't spoken to me in a long while. Things change _ . 

_ I — yes, things change. Which is why I think I can talk to you and be absolutely unbiased.  _

_ I'll think about it  _

_ That's all I ask for. Thank you. _

When there isn't any reply, he shuts the little diary closed and places it on his bedside table next to his wand and goes to sleep feeling much lighter than he has since the whole ordeal started. 

  
  
  
  
  


Wonshik keeps his promise. 

_ Do you ever feel like you're just not enough?  _

_ What do you mean?  _

_ That no matter what you do, there are always going to be people trying to find faults?  _

_ Of course. It isn't easy to do things according to every single person's preferences. Why do you ask, Wonshik?  _

_ How do you deal with feeling so useless?  _

_ By remembering that no matter how many you might not be the best for, there will be double that amount that you will be more than enough for. _

_ Huh.  _

  
  
  
  
  


"You haven't written me a report on the progress yet, Auror Lee," Taekwoon says in lieu of greeting when he enters the Head Auror's office. 

"I'll have it delivered to you before lunch," Hongbin winces at the thought of paperwork. He hates it with a passion and would much rather be sent in for some field work.

"It should have been here the minute you came back from your first visit to the apothecary, shouldn't it have?" Taekwoon asks calmly, waving a hand and closing the door shut. 

"It slipped my mind, sorry," Hongbin mutters. "I found three files waiting for me in the office today," 

"I can't have one of my best Aurors working on a single case now, can I? I'm sure you can handle the load," Taekwoon smiles. 

Hongbin sighs. "Yeah," 

  
  
  
  
  


_ If you were famous, what would be your escape?  _

Hongbin is in the middle of completing that report for Taekwoon when he notices Wonshik has initiated another conversation and decides that's more important. 

_ You're really not comfortable with your fame, are you?  _

_ No. It's a burden, sometimes. People only see what they want to see, never what it really is. _

_ Hmm, but that's sort of the case with just about everything isn't it? Regardless of what that something is, people always only see what they want to see _

_ I guess you're right. You haven't answered my question. _

Hongbin thinks back to it.

_ I'm not really sure how to answer it. Why don't you tell me exactly what it is that's bothering you? Maybe I'll be able to give you an answer then.  _

Wonshik doesn't write back for a while, so Hongbin sighs to himself and finishes writing up the report, right up to where he points out that everything seems connected to Chapothecary, and how he doesn't trust either memory. 

He rolls the parchment up and ties it with a string, dropping it into the 'out' box and taps once with the tip of his wand and says, "Jung Taekwoon," and watches as the report disappears and a small bell sounds indicating that Taekwoon has received it. 

He turns his attention back to the diary and finds a reply.

_ I feel mostly like I don't deserve the attention I get. I'm just as human as the next person. I don't understand what makes me special. And the expectations that come with being known is a whole other story. _

_ What made you start making music, Wonshik?  _

_ Why are you asking me something you know the answer for? _

_ Just answer the question  _

_ Because it gave me happiness, of course. It was very self-indulgent in the beginning.  _

_ What made you share it with the world, then?  _

_ When I felt very proud of my music  _

_ Did you do it for validation?  _

_ Well, everybody wants validation no matter how much they deny it, but no, that wasn't the only or the main reason. I was simply too happy with what I'd done and had wanted to share it for the love of it. _

_ Do you remember how you felt when you finished your first piece?  _

_ Of course _

_ Hold on to that, then. When something becomes a burden, pull on that feeling. You'll be much happier.  _

_ That's — that's very good advise. Thank you. _

  
  
  
  
  


Hongbin has just closed a high profile robbery case, but he doesn't feel like he's accomplished anything. He's been trying particularly hard to not overthink all his conversations with Wonshik, but it niggles at the back of his mind most times. 

He pulls a piece of parchment towards himself and tries to outline everything he knows. He scribbles and circles _Chapothecary_ , _Hakyeon_ and _Sanghyuk_. He writes _Dreamless_ _Sleep_ and immediately crosses it out, he knows that has nothing to do with the case. He taps the tip of the quill against the parchment and lets out a triumphant little sound as he suddenly remembers the _Phoenix_ _locket_. 

Royal blue inks into the diary and distracts him momentarily. 

_ I think I'm ready to come back. Find me, Hongbin.  _

  
  
  
  
  


_ Dear Jiwon _

_ I think I'll be able to find Wonshik soon. I'm so sorry it has taken me so long, but I think I have an idea. I can't tell you much yet, of course, but he's fine. He hasn't been taken. _

_ Soon. _

_ Hongbin  _

  
  
  
  
  


Wonshik doesn't write a word after asking Hongbin to find him and Hongbin is at his wit's end. 

The Phoenix locket glints at him from it's perch on his table but he's run it through every known screening charm and has come up empty each time. The locket is simply just that. But he knows it's important, he just doesn't know how, or why. 

He grabs his robes and decides to pay another visit to Chapothecary. The small building suddenly looms upon him intimidatingly but he shrugs it off and walks in. 

"Ah, Auror. You might want to sit down today," Hakyeon greets him and a plush stool moves into his line of sight. 

Hongbin casts a quick glance around the store and seats himself regardless. "Sanghyuk isn't here," he notes. 

"He's inside. Do you wish for him to be out here as well?" Hakyeon smiles at him.

Hongbin swallows away the butterflies beginning to fly around his tummy and takes a deep breath. "Yeah," 

Hakyeon simply taps against the desk and a moment later, the door to the workroom opens and Sanghyuk steps out. "Oh, it's the Auror. Was my memory helpful?" 

Hongbin frowns. "Both of you have given me morphed memories. Do you honestly think it would have been helpful?" 

Hakyeon ducks his head. "Ah, you must forgive us. Wonshik did not want to be found," 

"But now he does," Hongbin mutters. 

"But now he does," Hakyeon nods and flicks his wand to hover a few phials of the same potion from the memories and places them on the desk in front of Hongbin and gestures to them. "This is Sanghyuk's concoction. We call it Timeless. It allows a person relive any moment in time they prefer to relive, in a sense working similar to a Time Turner, but without the added side effects,"

"That doesn't sound legal," 

Sanghyuk laughs. "Of course it isn't. Why would you think we have our shop in Knocturn instead of in Diagon?" 

Hongbin sighs. "That makes sense. So Wonshik takes this a lot, then?" 

Hakyeon drums his fingers along the desk surface. "No, actually. He mostly does come in for Dreamless Sleep, but he does get this one at times. The day he disappeared, he bought two phials of these," 

"How long does a phial last?" Hongbin asks. 

"Not very long, actually," Sanghyuk answers. "Forty hours with a full phial," 

Hongbin frowns. "But Wonshik is stuck in a timeless loop," he remembers reading those words in Wonshik's handwriting and they come to the forefront of his mind suddenly. 

Hakyeon brightens at that. "Yes!" 

"It doesn't make sense," Hongbin shakes his head to clear out his thoughts. It doesn't help. 

"Yes, it does," Sanghyuk sounds petulant, almost. 

And then Hongbin gets it. 

  
  
  
  
  


"I think I know what happened to Wonshik," Hongbin doesn't bother knocking on Taekwoon's door as he bursts in and brandishes the Phoenix locket at him.

Taekwoon raises an eyebrow, the epitome of calm even in the thick disaster and prompts him with a gesture.

"I think he's somehow managed to splinch himself while using a Time Turner while also having taken a potion with similar effects, which he probably shouldn't have done," 

Taekwoon frowns and stands up. He gingerly picks up the locket and turns it around in his palm. "And this locket?"

"Oh, that's just a locket. But I'm pretty sure he's transfigured the Time Turner to look exactly like this," Hongbin proclaims. 

"You're pretty sure?" Taekwoon sounds incredulous and his voice lilts dangerously towards the end. 

"I haven't found it yet, and I might need some help finding it. It's at Chapothecary, that much I assure you, sir," Hongbin adds. 

Taekwoon nods. "Alright, then. Let's get to it. I'll send in a team of Aurors to help you. Jaehwan might not want to miss it, either," 

Hongbin falls into step beside Taekwoon as he rounds up a team and orders them to search. 

  
  
  
  
  


It takes three days and a team of twelve Aurors pulling double shifts to find the Time Turner, and it takes an additional four days to cast the complex spells to reverse the effects of messing with time and eight Unspeakables to do the same. 

Hongbin isn't allowed anywhere near the intricate circle of webs they create, and he cannot complain, really. It looks exhausting, to have to use so much magic, and continuously at that. 

He's asked to finish the paperwork for the entire case instead, and he gladly takes it up. The mundane quality to paperwork seems to ground him. 

Taekwoon knocks on his door at three in the afternoon just as he's finishing up the last of the report and walks in, casting a silencing charm. "It's done, Hongbin. The spell has worked,"

Hongbin sets the file aside and leans back in his chair. He peers up at the ceiling charmed to look similar to the weather outside, and finds comfort in the sunlight shining brightly. "It's done," he mutters. 

"Great job, Auror," Taekwoon leaves him to himself. 

  
  
  
  
  


Hongbin doesn't understand why he's so antsy all of a sudden. He knows Wonshik is back, he knows Wonshik is safe, but the magic seems to thrum through his veins and it doesn't seem to want to settle down. 

He throws on his robes multiple times through the day and almost storms out of his office just as many times, but the myriad of cases in blue files floating above his desk hold him back. 

Every time his gaze flits to the right corner of his office, the letter Eltany delivered not two hours ago glares at him from where he'd thrown it at the wall in a fit of misplaced anger and something that resembled dismissal at the time, but he's paced enough of his office to know that he's disappointed. 

He throws a curse into the air and stalks over to pick the letter up and read through it once again. 

_ Dear Hongbin Oppa, _

_ Wonshik Oppa has returned home and is well. He is but a little weak, tired. I hope he recovers soon. Thank you so very much for keeping your promise. I never doubted it for a second that you would fail, but it still makes me very happy to know that you have worked this hard to find him. _

_ Thank you, once again, and a million more times. _

_ Jiwon _

He balls his fist when the anger creeps back up and a sense of dread fills his stomach like a metaphorical brick at the realisation that maybe he's gotten far too attached to Wonshik once again and his negative feelings stem from having been dismissed for having solved a case as an Auror and maybe, he wants more.

  
  
  
  
  


It's a week after when Hongbin calls a 'come in' to the knock on his door and promptly spits out the tea he's sipping on. 

"Hello, Hongbin," Wonshik looks unsure of himself and his hands flap at his sides, just as unsure as the rest of him.

"Wonshik," Hongbin rounds his table and throws himself at him, arms going around Wonshik's shoulder. He decides to smartly ignore the way his heart beats a bit too fast or the way he wants to keep holding on.

Wonshik lets out a breathless laugh as he catches Hongbin around his waist and pulls him close. "It's good to see you, too," 

Hongbin pulls away. "You idiot, you really had me worried. I know I got Jiwon's letter thanking me for finding you, but do you have any idea how worried I was?" He doesn't mention just why he was worried, of course. He's still not entirely sure of the implications himself, and he doesn't want to complicate things as yet. Another time, another place. 

Wonshik clears his throat and looks away. "Are you still busy?" 

Hongbin slides his hand into his trouser pockets and pulls out his pocket watch. "I'm sure Taekwoon wouldn't mind giving me some time off. What do you have in mind?" 

"Walk with me," Wonshik takes his hand in his and Hongbin lets him. 

He's missed this, he realises, as they walk to the Main Apparition Point and Wonshik side-along's him to a muggle neighbourhood. 

It's a quiet little street, adorned with tiny houses on both sides of it, each with it's own picket fence and neatly trimmed gardens. 

"I didn't thank you," Wonshik starts. 

Hongbin looks away from the playground. "Hmm?" 

"For finding me. For saving me. Thank you, Hongbin," Wonshik sends him a smile. 

Hongbin smiles back. "I really don't think I did much," 

"You know, when I realised I somehow got myself stuck in time, I didn't care. I thought it was for the best. And since I used a Time Turner, I obviously couldn't come in contact with anybody and it sort of felt liberating. I was free for the first time in a long while and I enjoyed it," 

"What changed?" 

"When you found my diary and wrote to me," Wonshik replies, looking straight ahead, his hands in his pockets. 

"About that. I don't understand how that diary works," Hongbin frowns slightly. 

"It's charmed to make sure the words disappear after a while. I keep it because if I write in a real diary, Jiwon might find it. I didn't want to hurt her," Wonshik sighs. "In that timeless place I was stuck in, it became my only companion. I think, we were able to communicate because you found the diary that was in the original timeline, and I was writing in whatever time I was stuck in," 

Hongbin nods. "That makes sense. How did you communicate with Mister Cha, then?" 

Wonshik chuckles. "I left them messages in their store, actually," 

"Plausible," 

"When you started writing to me, I was skeptical. But I think, somewhere along the line, you helped me make myself believe that I simply cannot satisfy anyone if I am not satisfied with myself," 

"Are you satisfied now?" 

"I'd like to believe so, yes. I think I'm content. Yes, that's the word. I'm content," 

Hongbin decides, on that deserted street, with Wonshik by his side, maybe he'd like to be content, too. 


End file.
